


The Mentor of Mind

by leviathanSlewfoot



Series: Crossovers [1]
Category: Death Note (Anime & Manga), Homestuck
Genre: (kind of?), Dead Terezi, F/F, F/M, Gamzee Makara/Terezi Pyrope Kismesissitude, Hypnotism, Justice, L isn't an Emotionless Asshole, Mentor/Protégé, Morally Ambiguous Character, POV Terezi Pyrope, Talking To Dead People, Teacher-Student Relationship, Terezi Isn't Blind, Unhealthy Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-04
Updated: 2018-05-04
Packaged: 2019-04-28 20:23:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14457033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leviathanSlewfoot/pseuds/leviathanSlewfoot
Summary: L and a very dead Terezi have a talk.





	The Mentor of Mind

You are TEREZI PYROPE, and you are dead.  
You push yourself upwards, expecting pain, but none comes. You see the forensic outline of your dead body in blue chalk that you had drawn just moments before you fell on that exact spot, exactly as you predicted. Because you are dead.  
It is blue because that was John’s answer when you asked him his favorite color. You had figured it would be blue. It was an extremely small way to apologize for messing around with him slightly and making him fix all of your mistakes throughout the timeline.  
You sat up and looked around. Nothing but darkness. Had you not taken up Aranea’s offer to heal your eyes, you would have been able to smell the colors that lay hidden in the darkness. You would still feel that connection, that thin string always connecting you with your dead unhatched baby ghost dragon lusus. But that’s not the case. You can see now, but you’re blinder than you ever have been.  
You pull your knees up to your chin and hug them closer. What will you do?

>Terezi: Look around again.

There’s no use in that. Nothing but darkness surrounds you.

>Terezi: Walk around.

You might as well. You stand up and start walking in a random direction.

>Terezi: Get lost in your thoughts.

You think over everything.  
Your FLARPing days with Vriska. Her blinding you. Learning to ‘see’ from your lusus. Killing Vriska. Meeting Aranea. Her offer to heal you. Seeing your dancestor in the bubbles. Her rad moves. Wishing that you could be as cool as her. Gamzee, in all of his sticky, sickly sweet grape-scented purple glory that smelled like the shame you felt whenever you caught a whiff of him. Accepting Aranea’s offer. The first thing you saw was her smiling face, asking you how you were feeling. She had been so happy, she reminded you of your friend.  
Vriska. Sollux. Nepeta. Kanaya. Karkat. Equius. Feferi. Eridan. Aradia. Tavros. Gamzee. Rose. Dave. Jake. Dirk. Jane. Jade. All of them were dead now. All of them.  
John would make it right, and finish the game. He had to. But you are stuck here in this dreambubble. Whose damn dreambubble is this anyway?

>Terezi: Run into the owner of this damn dreambubble and fall flat on your ass.

You walk straight into someone much taller than you, and because of the sheer force of impact, you fall down flat on your ass.  
You look up, about to apologize to whoever it was you ran into. Few people were taller than you, just Gamzee, Kanaya, Dave, Equius, Dirk, and Sollux, so one of those people was who you were expecting to see. The person you look up at is definitely not any one of those people. He’s a human, early in adulthood, messy black hair that seemed to defy gravity. He had very, very dark eyes, they almost looked black. He was wearing a plain white long-sleeved shirt and blue jeans. Extremely pale. Strange, even for a human.

TEREZI: WHO 4R3 YOU?  
TEREZI: 1 THOUGHT 4LL OF TH3 OTH3R HUM4NS WOULD B3 D34D 4T TH1S PO1NT  
STRANGER: What do you mean, I shouLd be dead?  
TEREZI: UGH  
TEREZI: YOU KNOW WH4T?  
TEREZI: 1M NOT 3V3N GO1NG TO QU3ST1ON 1T 4NYMOR3  
TEREZI: MY N4M3 1S T3R3Z1 PYROP3  
TEREZI: WHO 4R3 YOU?  
STRANGER: Hm. CaLL me Ryuuga.  
TEREZI: L14R  
TEREZI: TH4TS NOT YOUR R34L N4M3, 1S 1T?

At least your Seer powers are still remotely working. It’s practically impossible to lie to a Seer of Mind, which you are.  
Or were.  
Being dead can be slightly disorienting.

RYUUGA: No.  
TEREZI: WHY DONT YOU C4LL YOURS3LF YOUR R34L N4M3?  
RYUUGA: Why do you caLL yourseLf dead?  
TEREZI: B3C4US3 TH4TS WH4T 1 4M  
RYUUGA: The name is a part of who I am, in a way.  
TEREZI: OH  
TEREZI: 1 S33  
TEREZI: NO PUN 1NT3ND3D  
RYUUGA: What do you mean?  
TEREZI: OH  
TEREZI: W3LL  
TEREZI: 1TS K1ND OF 4 LONG STORY  
RYUUGA: We have time. You’re dead, and I wiLL LikeLy be asLeep for hours.

>Ryuuga: Help Terezi up.

Ryuuga offers his hand to help you up. You think for a second, then grab it, and he pulls you upwards, giving you the opportunity to use the momentum he provides for you to lock your knees in order to stay upwards.

TEREZI: TH4NKS  
RYUUGA: So, teLL me, Terezi Pyrope, were you, at one point of time in your Life, bLind?  
TEREZI: UGH  
TEREZI: DONT R3M1ND M3  
TEREZI: Y34H 1 W4S  
TEREZI: FOR MOST OF MY L1F3  
TEREZI: 4CTU4LLY  
TEREZI: NOW TH4T 1 TH1NK 4BOUT 1T  
RYUUGA: That impLies that there was a time when you weren’t bLind, does it not?  
TEREZI: 1T DO3S  
TEREZI: MY B3ST FR13ND BL1ND3D M3 4FT3R 1 BL3W H3R 4RM OFF 4ND TOOK 4W4Y H3R V1S1ON 31GHTFOLD  
TEREZI: 1 ONLY D1D TH4T B3C4US3 SH3 H4D P4R4LYZ3D MY OTH3R FR13ND 4ND K1LL3D MY OTH3R FR13ND WHO M4D3 H3R 4BL3 TO S33 THE GHOSTS OF TH3 TROLLS TH4T SH3 H4D K1LL3D TO F33D H3R LUSUS  
RYUUGA: Your actions are sureLy Justified.  
TEREZI: 1 WOULDNT S4Y JUST1F13D  
TEREZI: TH3Y W3R3 3NCOUR4G3D  
TEREZI: VR1SK4 W4SNT 3X4CTLY TH3 N1C3ST TROLL  
TEREZI: SO SH3 M4D3 4 LOT OF 3N3M13S  
TEREZI: 3V3N SO  
TEREZI: 1T D1DNT JUST1FY WH4T 1 D1D…  
TEREZI: WH4T 1 D1D L4T3R TO S4V3 OUR 3NT1R3 T1M3L1N3 4ND 4LL OF MY FR13NDS  
RYUUGA: What did you do?

>Terezi: Confess your sins.

TEREZI: 1… 1… 1 K1LL3D H3R  
TEREZI: 1 K1LL3D H3R. SH3 W4S GO1NG TO DOOM OUR T1M3L1N3, SH3 H4D TO B3 STOPP3D, SH3 W4S GO1NG TO F1GHT B3C NO1R!  
TEREZI: SH3 H4D NO CH4NC3  
TEREZI: 4ND ONC3 B3C NO1R W4S H4V3 F1N1SH3D W1TH H3R  
TEREZI: H3 WOULD H4V3 FOUND 4LL OF US BY FOLLOW1NG H3R SC3NT!  
TEREZI: SH3 H4D K1LL3D T4VROS  
TEREZI: SH3 P4R4LYZ3D H1M 4ND K1LL3D 4R4D14 W4Y B4CK WH3N W3 W3R3 JUST FL4RP1NG P4RTN3RS ON T34M SCOURG3 4ND 1T W4S NOTH1NG MOR3 TH4N JUST 4 G4M3!  
TEREZI: 1 H4D TO K1LL H3R  
TEREZI: OR SH3 WOULD K1LL 4LL OF US!  
TEREZI: 1 COULDNT S33 4NY OTH3R W4Y, SO 1 K1LL3D H3R!  
TEREZI: 31TH3R TH4T  
TEREZI: OR 1 WOULDNT  
TEREZI: 1 PL4Y3D JUST1C3 B3C4US3 SH3 W4S JUST TOO FULL OF H3RS3LF TO 4T L34ST 4CT OR PR3T3ND L1K3 SH3 THOUGHT TH4T OTH3R L1V3S M4TT3R3D!  
TEREZI: 1M TH3 R34SON TH4T 4LMOST 4LL OF MY FR13NDS 4R3 D34D!  
TEREZI: ONLY WH3N 1T W4S TOO L4T3, 1 S4W TH4T 1 D1DNT H4V3 TO K1LL H3R! ONLY 4FT3R 4LMOST 3V3RYON3 W4S D34D, ONLY 4FT3R 1 L3T VR1SK4S D4MN D4NC3STOR H34L MY 3Y3S, ONLY 4FT3R 1 L3T MYS3LF GO THROUGH 4 TOX1C K1SSM3SS1TUD3 W1TH G4MZ33, ONLY 4FT3R 1 TR13D TO K1LL H1M, ONLY 4FT3R 4LL OF TH4T 1 S4W WH4T 1 SHOULD H4V3 DON3!  
TEREZI: 1 H4D TO M4K3 JOHN TR4V3L THROUGH OUR T1M3L1N3 TO F1X 4LL OF MY M1ST4K3S, B3C4US3 1 H4D TO GO 4ND D13 L1K3 4 FR34K1NG US3L3SS 1D1OT!  
TEREZI: 1…  
TEREZI: 1…  
TEREZI: 4ND NOW 1M R4NT1NG 4T 4 HUM4N WHO SHOULD B3 D34D BUT SOM3HOW 1SNT  
TEREZI: SORRY

>Ryuuga: Fulfill your role.

RYUUGA: You are Justice.  
TEREZI: WH4T?  
TEREIZ: D1D YOU 3V3N JUST H34R WH4T 1 S41D, HUM4N?  
TEREZI: 1 K1LL3D H3R WH3N TH3R3 W4S 4NOTH3R SOLUT1ON  
TEREZI: 1  
TEREZI: K1LL3D  
TEREZI: H3R  
TEREZI: W1TH  
TEREZI: NO  
TEREZI: JUST1F14BL3  
TEREZI: R34SON  
RYUUGA: Incorrect.  
TEREZI: OH? HOW SO TH3N? C4R3 TO 3NL1GHT3N M3?  
RYUUGA: First of aLL, you had two very good reasons to end her Life, did you not?  
RYUUGA: She kiLLed two members of your party, and was going to take an action that you couLd see, as the Seer of Mind, I presume, wouLd get yourseLf and the rest of your party kiLLed.  
RYUUGA: Second of aLL, it seems Like your actions were aLL under extremeLy unique circumstances in which any other person wouLd have broken under the stress of being expected to make the correct decision.  
RYUUGA: After going through what you have described to be a toxic reLationship of some sort and Losing what must be to you your main method of perceiving the worLd around you, you must have instructed your friend John how to go about fixing your miscaLcuLations. You died to pay for your own perceived sins.  
RYUUGA: You have, as it seems to me, at Least, acted as Justice throughout your entire ordeaL. I can check, if you wish me to.  
TEREZI: … CH3CK?  
RYUUGA: Check through your memories. I wiLL mereLy gain access to these through your own mind, then Look through them as an unbiased observer. A third opinion which sees the exact same things as you do can be an extremeLy reLiabLe resource, aLmost invaLuabLe. The process wiLL be compLeteLy and utterLy painLess. I have been toLd that it is even moderateLy enJoyabLe.  
TEREZI: … OK4Y  
TEREZI: W1LL YOU H4V3 TO KNOCK M3 OUT OR SOM3TH1NG?  
RYUUGA: Somewhat. You wiLL have to enter a tranceLike state in order to aLLow me to view your memories. You won't be giving up controL, but you wiLL have to be as reLaxed as possibLe.

>Ryuuga: Sit down normally.

RYUUGA: Come. Lay down here.

You ponder the situation for a moment, wondering if you can trust this strange human who claims that he can help you. Then, you stop pondering, because you're dead now, and it doesn't really matter anymore. You couldn't possibly care less about what happens to you now, so fuck it.

>Terezi: Lay down.

You lay down with your head on his lap, and you suddenly regret choosing to do so. Not because he's threatening you at all, no. It's just that now Ryuuga is looking down at you with wide, dark eyes that seem to peer past every single one of your masks that you usually put up to hide yourself from... well, from everyone, really.  
The human's eyes almost seemed to soften.

RYUUGA: It's difficuLt, I know, to be a Mind PLayer.  
TEREZI: WH4T?  
RYUUGA: Terezi, whatever I discover in your memories, whether or not you have acted JustLy, I can know simpLy from our conversation that you aLways tried your best to be Just, and to protect the Lives of those around you.

Your eyes widen, and you swallow a knot in your throat.

TEREZI: WHY DO3S TH4T M4TT3R?  
RYUUGA: Because it matters to you. It's rather difficuLt to Lie to me, you know.  
TEREZI: ... R1GHT, RYUUG4. L3TS G3T TH1S OV3R W1TH 4LR34DY

A small smile curves at his lips, and he rests his pale palm on your ashen forehead before speaking in a soothing tone of voice.

RYUUGA: Just reLax, and focus on your breathing.  
TEREZI: MY BR34TH1NG?  
RYUUGA: Hush. Yes, your breathing. Focus on the air as it traveLs in through your nose, and out through your mouth. That's aLL you have to do, Terezi.

The sound of air had always been very comforting to you, especially when it blows through leaves. Because of this, it is astonishingly easy to do as Ryuuga suggests.

RYUUGA: That's it, deep breaths. Just focus on breathing and the sound of my voice, aLright?  
RYUUGA: FeeL the edges of your consciousness begin to taper, sLowLy fading away. Just Let it happen, it's aLright. Nothing can reach you here, there is nothing here except you and me. Nothing here besides you and my voice, sLowLy entering your mind without a rippLe, repLacing your thoughts.  
RYUUGA: You're not against this, however, are you, Terezi?  
RYUUGA: You're not giving up controL, but simpLy aLLowing me to guide you through this process.

From there, you stopped actually listening to what Ryuuga was saying and just let his soft, monotonous voice wash into your mind like a tide over sand, smoothing any roughness that was there. You feel your eyes glaze over, then simply let them close, because they were getting to heavy to hold open anyways.  
You feel your mind slow down, your thoughts and worries disappearing one by one. Everything is fading away, replaced by a warm void that you welcome after playing the game for so long. Your entire form starts to tingle and relax, as if it were dunked in sopor slime. Your muscles are loosening, and you feel a dragonlike purr start to rumble in the back of your throat.  
Images start to pass before your eyes. You realize that you are remembering everything once again again. You just barely feel a presence in your mind, gently yet thoroughly weaving its way through your memories. It silently observes, then moves on to the next memory. In this fashion, almost your entire life passes by.  
You try to ask Ryuuga why he's looking through your entire life story, but it only comes out in mumbles, and you only faintly hear him hushing you.  
Once he's done, he firmly pulls you out of trance, and you actually feel more awake now than you did before you met Ryuuga.  
You sit up and look at him.

TEREZI: W3LL?  
TEREZI: WH4T'S TH3 V3RD1CT?  
RYUUGA: Hm... I wouLd Like to hear what you think first.  
TEREZI: UM... HOW 4BOUT NO TO TH4T '1'D L1K3 TO H34R WH4T YOU TH1NK F1RST' BULLSH1T

Ryuuga sighs, smirking slightly.

RYUUGA: Very weLL.  
RYUUGA: I was correct.  
TEREZI: ...  
RYUUGA: What is it?  
TEREZI: FOR SOM3 W31RD R34SON, 1 DON'T F1ND YOUR CONCLUS1ON TH4T H4RD TO B3L13V3

Ryuuga's smirk widens.

RYUUGA: My caretaker has toLd me that sLeep is the key to strong thought many more times than I can count.  
TEREZI: ... D1D YOU DO TH4T ON PURPOS3?  
RYUUGA: ... One couLd say that I did.

You start to giggle, then you're laughing, and then you're cackling just as loudly as you used to back when you were FLARPing with Vriska.  
Ryuuga stands up, dusting himself off.

RYUUGA: WeLL, I imagine that you have a certain someone to find before that crack in the sky gets much Larger.  
TEREZI: H3H3H3  
TEREZI: YOU'R3 R1GHT!  
TEREZI: 1 H4V3 TO F1ND VR1SK4 B3FOR3 TH3 3XCR3M3NT H1TS TH3 WH1RL1NG D3V1C3!  
TEREZI: L4T3R! 1'LL TRY 4ND F1ND YOU 4FT3R 3V3RYTH1NG 1S DON3!

You get up, and start running towards the source of the crack. After not too long, you find her.  
Vriska Serket. The sociopath. The spiderbitch. The imperfect perfection of a moirail.  
She smiles gently.

VRISKA: Hey. ::::)

You smile back.

TEREZI: H3Y >:)

And for the first time in a long while, everything feels alright.


End file.
